The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for receiving discrete parts traveling at a speed and applying the parts to a web or other carrier traveling at a different speed.
Disposable absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers, generally have been manufactured by a process where discrete parts or components of different materials, such as leg elastic, waist elastic, tapes and other fasteners have been applied to a continuously moving carrier web. Often, the speed at which the parts are fed from one place in the process onto a carrier web is different from the speed of the carrier web, therefore, the speed of the parts must be changed to match the speed of the carrier web to properly apply the parts without adversely affecting the process or the finished product.
Similarly, labels are typically placed onto articles when the speed at which the labels are fed into the process is not the same as the speed of the article to be labeled. Thus, the speed of the labels must be changed to match the speed of the carrier web to properly apply the parts without adversely affecting the process or the finished product.
Several different conventional methods for changing the speed of a part or component of material such that it can be applied to a continuously moving carrier web have been known to those skilled in the art.
For example, one method has been known as the slip cut or cut and slip method. A web of material, which is traveling at a slower speed than the carrier web, is fed into a knife and anvil roll having a surface speed equal to speed of the carrier web. The material slips against the surface of the anvil roll until the knife cuts it into discrete pieces. The purpose of the slip is to ensure the correct amount of material is metered into the system at the desired tension prior to cutting. As the material is cut into the discrete parts, vacuum in the anvil roll is activated to hold the discrete part on the anvil without slipping, so that the discrete part is accelerated to the speed of the anvil roll. The anvil roll then carries the part to the point where the vacuum is released and the parts are applied to the carrier web while both the parts and the carrier web are traveling at the same speed. The problem with the above method is that the slip process is very sensitive to material properties and process settings. For example, when the coefficient of friction between the material and anvil roll is too high the material will elongate during the slip process. This elongation, if it occurs, can contribute to high variability in the final cut length and placement of the discrete part on the carrier web.
Another method has used festoons to reduce the speed of the carrier web to match the speed of the discrete parts of material to be applied to the web. An example of this method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,195 issued to Schmitz. The carrier web is temporarily slowed down to the speed of the parts with the excess portion of the carrier web gathering in festoons. The parts of material are then applied to the carrier web while both the parts and the web are traveling at the same speed. The festoons are then released allowing the moving web to return to its original speed. This method has two main drawbacks. First, the carrier web must be festooned and then released; this may damage or otherwise change the properties of the carrier web. Second, the storage system requires a large amount of space in typical disposables production systems because there is a direct relationship between line speed and storage space needed.
Another method has utilized a cam actuated follower arm. The cam actuated follower comprises a cam follower at one end of the arm and a holding plate at the other end of the arm. The cam follower remains in contact with a fixed cam which is mounted concentric with the instantaneous center of rotation of the holding plate. As the holding plate rotates, its radial distance from the center of rotation is increased and decreased to change the surface speed of the holding plate. The discrete parts of material are placed on the holding plate when it is at its smallest radius so that the speeds match. The plate then extends radially enough during the rotation to match the speed of the plate to the speed of the carrier web. At this point the discrete parts are transferred to the carrier web. This method has two main drawbacks. First, the plate is designed to match the curvature of one radius, not both. This means that either the pick-up of the discrete part or the transfer of the discrete part, or both, will occur across a gap for some part of the transfer. This can lead to a loss of control of the discrete part, which impacts handling of parts under tension, such as leg elastics. Second, to achieve the desired change in speed, the mechanical elements typically used, such as cams or linkages, become fairly large to stay within acceptable design limits for accelerations and rise angles. This size leads to increased cost and reduced flexibility, as the unit must be redesigned for each application.
Another method has utilized noncircular gears to change the speed of a transferring device. The means rotates at a constant radius, but the rotational velocity is varied between a minimum and a maximum to pick up the discrete part at its speed and place the part on the carrier web at its speed. This eliminates the size issues and speed or gap mismatch issues, but relies on mechanical means to achieve the change in rotational velocity. The drawback of this is that new transmission parts (gears or other means) are required each time a change in product design occurs that changes placement pitch length, discrete part length, or other key factors. This can be expensive and time-consuming to change. An example of this method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,022,443 issued to Rajala and Makovec.
In response to the discussed difficulties and problems encountered in the prior art a new method and apparatus for receiving discrete parts traveling at a speed, changing the speed of the parts to match the speed of a carrier web or body, and applying the parts to the carrier has been discovered.
In one aspect, the present invention concerns an apparatus for receiving discrete parts traveling at a first speed and applying the parts to a carrier traveling at a second speed. The apparatus comprises at least one rotatable transferring device and one driving mechanism for each transferring device. Each rotatable transferring device comprises at least one shell segment configured to move along an orbital path through a receiving zone where the parts are received and an application zone where the parts are applied to the carrier. The carrier might comprise a continuous moving substrate web, or might be another apparatus such as a drum. The driving mechanism utilizes a programmable motor such as a servo motor to transmit rotational energy to the rotatable transferring device. The driving mechanism may transmit rotational energy to the rotatable transferring device through a direct connection or a transmission interposed therebetween. The transmission may include gear to gear contact or gearboxes.
In another aspect, the present invention concerns an apparatus for receiving discrete parts of an elastic material traveling at a first speed and applying the parts to a carrier traveling at a second speed. The parts of the elastic material might already be at the desired tension and elongation length when the apparatus receives them. On the other hand, the parts of the elastic material might be at a lower tension and elongation length than desired when the leading edge is transferred to the apparatus, but might be stretched during the transfer to the apparatus if the apparatus is traveling at a faster speed than the discrete parts. Alternately, the parts might be at a higher tension and elongation than desired when the leading edge is transferred to the apparatus, but can relax to the desired state if the apparatus is traveling at a slower speed than the discrete parts. The change in tension and elongation can be performed uniformly along the entire length of the discrete material part, or can be intentionally varied during the initial transfer by changing the speed of the rotatable transferring means.
In another aspect, the material fed into the transferring device may comprise a continuous web which might be cut into discrete parts while on the transferring device by a knife, hot wire, laser beam, or other method commonly known. Alternatively, the material fed into the system can be broken into discrete parts by acceleration of the rotatable transferring device. This breaking process can be aided by perforating the material at the desired break point prior to arriving at the receiving zone.
In another aspect, the discrete parts can have adhesive or other bonding material applied to them while traveling on the rotatable transferring device. The rotation speed of the transferring device can be controlled in register with a bonding material applicator such that the bonding material can be applied either intermittently or continuously as the rotatable transferring device rotates.
In another aspect, the discrete parts of material can be modified prior to placement on the carrier to aid in a final bonding process. This modification can come through heat addition, moisture addition, or other known method for altering material properties to aid in the bonding process.
In still another aspect, the programmable motors of the apparatus of the present invention can be arranged in a series wherein each of the motors and the transferring devices(s) actuated by each motor is aligned in relation to a common axis of rotation of all motors and transferring devices.
As compared to conventional methods, such as the cut and slip method described above, for changing the speed of a discrete part so that it can be applied to a carrier, utilizing a programmable motor provides the ability to obtain greater changes in speed, to maintain constant speeds for a fixed duration, and to simplify the set-up process when changing from one product to another. Thus, the use of programmable motors can provide a more precise control of the length and placement of the part onto the carrier while offering great flexibility in the type of parts that are to be made.